Maia Acro World Cup in Portugal!

Belgium, Russia, Israel and Belarus are considered to have a very talented and strong generation of gymnasts. They proved it in the Maia Acro World Cup. It took place in Portugal, March 3-5. The event was very significant as it is one of the four important stops of the 2017 FIG Acrobatic World Cup calendar. These World Cups can give gymnasts a chance to take part in the «Olympic Games for non-Olympic disciplines» in Poland in July.

This World Cup turned out to be a rematch of two medallists (silver and bronze ones) from the 2016 World Championships in Putan. Despite a strong challenge from two groups from Great Britain, the Belarusian Women’s Group, bronze medallists at the 2016 Worlds, turned in three solid performances to finish atop the standings.

The only Women’s Pair at the World Cup was Noemie Lammertyn and Lore Vanden Berghe. They topped the standings by default. Not so their teammates Robin Casse and Kilian Goffaux, who shot to the top of the leaderboard after a smash Combined routine in the medal round, putting them ahead of Germany’s Michail Kraft and Tim Sebastian. Gymnasts from Belarus, Artsiom Yashchanka and Aliaksei Zayats, who were the leaders at the first two rounds, made several mistakes. Thus, they took only the fourth place.

Like the Belgians in Men’s Pair, Russians Ivan Nesterenko and Elena Murashko saved the best for last, capturing their first World Cup title in Mixed Pairs on the strength of their lyrical Combined routine. Countrymen Kirill Startsev and Viktoria Aksenova, in their first World Cup appearance, sailed to silver, relegating host country favorites Joao Martins and his new partner Carolina Dias to bronze. Since World champions Georgy Pataraya and Marina Chernova did compete in Maia, the Russians have pairs to spare, but to the delight of the home crowd, it was Martins and Dias who were in first place through the second round.